At the end of a symphonic concert, we ‘expect’ the conductor to play ‘hard-to-get’. He enters and exits, again and again. Even with a standing ovation, it takes him about 4-5 times before he will finally sit down to play another piece. For someone like me, this tradition of playing-hard-to-get gets old.
Tradition. Why don’t we question it more often? Do you think that the symphony ever proposes: “Hey, here’s a novel idea. Tonight, let’s play until we are completely done, and then simply leave the stage for good?”
In business, traditions are embedded within the company culture: A particular meeting that continues to be held, time after time, with no fruitful outcome. A process for which an employee gets promoted, that may no longer be valid. A methodology for decision-making that might be cumbersome in the eyes of others, but is a long-standing tradition in a particular firm. An approach to marketing and sales that may be considered obsolete in today’s economic climate.
And have you noticed, sometimes we let these traditions live long past their useful life. Why? It could be laziness, but it’s more likely that we simply view them as part of the ‘fabric’ of our company—so much so that we don’t even consider challenging them.
Well, maybe it’s time. We’re nearing Q3, a time when mid-year evaluations should be conducted on your strategic business and business development/marketing plans. {More on that in another upcoming post}. Why not also use this mid-year milestone as an opportunity to put some of your ‘traditions’ to the test. Ask yourselves a few simple questions:
1. Is this tradition {process/meeting/protocol/environment} working well for us? Whether yes or no, answer question 2.
2. Could we make improvements to it? If yes, then you might flag it for later, depending upon the level of urgency for improvement; move to question 3. If no, then pat yourself on the back because the tradition is working well, and does not need improvements.
3. Would we be better off without it? If yes, then prove it. Ask, if we eliminated this tradition all together, what would benefit (ie. extra time for a higher priority)?
I look forward to hearing if any of you discover company traditions that need a hard look, and a potential improvement…or even elimination.